


Love, in Time

by Elena78



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance, Time Travel, To Be Continued, pairing revealed in the story, some vanilla smut, who is 'he'?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:14:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23584432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elena78/pseuds/Elena78
Summary: Penelope Clearwater hates her life post war and makes a decision to make a change, to everything.
Comments: 39
Kudos: 19
Collections: Sing Me a Rare: The Mash-Ups





	Love, in Time

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sing me a Rare: Mash Ups.
> 
> Song Prompt: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd and Lovers on the Sun by David Guetta

“Parvati!” Fingers flicked and waved in front of her before she blinked and looked around her.

“I’m so sorry, what did you say?” Parvati asked, her brain slightly foggy.  
  
“I need you to look for this for me,” Harry Potter passed her a file.

Parvati took it and flicked through it before sighing. “Seriously, Harry.” Parvati rolled her eyes, slamming the file down on her desk. “I’ve looked for that prophecy for months.”

“I know,” Harry leaned in closer to her, capturing her lips into a quick kiss. “Please, can you look again,”

Parvati smiled and shook her head. “Fine!”

“I’ll see you at dinner?” Harry asked as he began backing away.

“Yes, I promised Hermione I’d help with the wedding plans. She’s determined to find the right thing to symbolise Percy and Ginny,” Parvati gasped. “Oh, I’m sorry, Harry.”

Harry looked sad but he stopped and moved closer to her. “Don’t be. What happened between all of us led me back to you. Who knew that the failed Yule Ball would end up being part of our history?”

Parvati could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. She was so hurt when she learned of his attraction to Cho and then his stunt with Ginny Weasley. But a grieving Harry meant that Parvati could be there for him. The Weasley’s lost two of their own during the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry’s first love was one of them. Overcome with emotion, Parvati flung her arms around Harry and kissed him, uncaring about the cheers around them.

“Get a room will you,” Ron said as he approached the loved-up couple. He gave a little squeeze to the hand he was holding, and Padma smiled at him.

“Parvati, Hermione is running late. Charlie is held up with a create full of Dragons, so Hermione’s gone to help him.” Padma said to her sister.

Parvati rolled her eyes. “Charlie is quite capable of dealing with the movement of Dragons. Hermione just wanted to see her fiancé.” Both girls giggled.

Ron shook his head. “Who knew my ex would end up with my brother.”

Harry laughed. “You shared one quick kiss in the Chamber of Secrets. Hermione is hardly your ex.”

“Besides, not to sound jealous or anything, Hermione and Charlie belong together. They have this hot element that draws them together.” Padma said.

“Yes, like meeting fire with fire and exploding into an inferno.” Parvati was grinning as her sister was nodding eagerly.

“Oh. My. Lord! That’s why Charlie is drawn to Dragons!” Padma squealed.

“Yes! I never thought of it that way,” Padma said.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Ron said uneasily, and everyone else laughed.

“Hey, listen,” Padma said. “Molly wanted to know if everyone would be OK if we set a place for Ginny and Percy at the table. She wants to include all of her children at the wedding.”

“Oh, that’s perfect,” Parvati looked at Harry, who looked at Ron.

“Yeah, I’m cool with that,” Ron said eventually.

“Me too,” Harry said and hugged Parvati to him.

“Excellent,” Padma said as she scribbled in her notebook.

The wedding was going to be huge. A triple wedding so the family didn’t have to regather. The girls were organising everything with Molly’s help and it was going to be the biggest event in the Magical world.

“I better get going,” Parvati said, picking up the file. “I want to get this useless search over with.”

“I’ll see you later then,” Harry kissed her briefly before he left with Ron and Padma.  
  
Parvati sighed and turned to head toward the Department of Mysteries, and she paused. Something was familiar about what she was doing, but she shook her head and kept walking. She bumped into someone and looked up.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Parvati said, only briefly looking at the person.

“No worries,” a curly blonde woman said and kept walking.

Parvati felt a strange sense of déjà vu, but shook her head and hurried for the elevators. She never saw the smile on the face of the lady she just bumped into.

~~*~~

 **6 Months Earlier**  
  
Penelope Clearwater moaned as she stretched out her limbs. Her muscles tensed before they relaxed, fatigued from her activities. Her body was covered in a sheen of sweat and she was happily sated. Penelope, or Penny as her friends called her, sighed through her smile. Another night, another earth-shaking experience.

Penny basked in post-coital bliss, but it was short-lived. Her smile turned to a frown, and her muscles tensed again as a sob tore from her throat. She turned over in her empty bed and cried.

~~*~~

He signalled the barman for another drink as he downed the last of the whiskey in his glass. He slammed the glass down onto the bar harder than expected. For weeks now she came to him. A girl he met one night at the bar. Except she wasn’t real, or is, but just not yet?

He shook his head. None of it made sense. It was only an hour ago that she left him alone in his bed. But it was what she had warned him that shook him in his core.

_“It happens in a week,” Penny whispered in his ear._

_“What does?” He said as his lips kissed and nipped at her neck._

_Penny gasped and arched her back as his fingers expertly worked between her thighs. “You know what,” she said before moaning as her hips moved in time with his hand._

_He remained silent as he watched her body twitch and tremble, her moans turning into short gasps as she rode his hand into oblivion. He waited till she had calmed slightly before removing his hand and climbed over her. He entered Penny with a hard thrust, pausing to savour the feeling. He could still feel her throbbing from her earlier orgasm._

_“I’m here right now.” He said finally._

_Their bodies moved in perfect symphony and Penny forgot everything as her body built another climax. She wrapped her legs around him as she tipped over the edge, but he never stopped moving, and another wave slammed her body and she screamed his name as she rode wave after wave of pleasure. When he finally joined her, he held her body tight to him and she smiled as she felt his cock throb with his release inside her._

_Releasing her, Penny’s mind began to clear. “I don’t want you to die.”_

_“What?” He asked, laying beside her as he caught his breath._

_Penny took a deep breath. “You and your brother,” Penny choked on her words. She chanced a look at him when he didn’t reply._

_“We’ll work it out,” he nodded as if to agree to his plan. He looked at her and saw her tears. “None of that now,” he pulled her to him, moving her legs around his body to straddle him._

_Penny went to say something, but he pulled her down and took her lips with his, silencing her. He knew he needed more time to recharge, so he moved his kissed down her neck and to her breasts. He licked and sucked on her hard nipples and she giggled._

_“You make it impossible to talk to you,” Penny said before squealing with laughter before gasping. “You’re insatiable,”_

_He had scooted down the bed and she was now straddling his head as his mouth devoured her._

_An hour later, he collapsed onto Penny’s back, guiding them back down to lay on the bed. She turned in his arms so she could look at him, biting her lower lip nervously._

_“I can’t lose you. Not now that I’ve fallen in love with you,” Penny smiled as his eyes widened._

_He never got to say anything though as she disappeared from his arms, leaving him feeling empty inside._

Penny had awakened him from a slumber he had no idea he was in. Every time she left him; he needed her a thousand times more. All it would take is a touch from her and his whole body felt like it was on fire and his desire for her simmered beneath his skin. He pushed the last glass of whiskey away from him, stood up and threw some coins down on the bar. He waved to the barman and headed outside.

He shivered immediately against the sudden chill and looked around him. The street was eerily empty and a gentle, but chilled breeze fought to cool his alcohol-infused body.

“What the…” He looked up at the dark sky.

No Muggle would ever notice, but he caught the flickering darkness in the sky. Dementors were on the move. He hurried to find his brother and knew exactly where he’d be. He had to figure out how to survive.

~~*~~

Penny turned the taps off in her shower, but she stood still, fighting to breathe. She tried everything to get herself to sleep, but it was useless. She needed him and she couldn’t rest till she was in his arms.

Finally, she moved to dry herself and got dressed. Instead of settling back into bed where their scent stirred her aching body, she paced the apartment, tidying as she moved through the small place.

The scent of burned candles filtrated her senses and she fought against the urge to pick up the Time-Turner. Penny hadn’t ever used the device, but she did draw on its magical properties. That’s how she found him, not that she meant to and thoughts of that first fateful day flooded her mind.

_Her day's, post-second war, had become monotonous. She cursed at her curls that refused to submit to being straight and giving in to being brushed back into a fluffy ponytail. She wore a navy-blue skirt suit with a pale blue blouse and navy court shoes, a Ministry lanyard around her neck, and her briefcase by her side._

_Penny was invisible. She blended in with other Hogwarts graduates, trying to manage life after the war. Initially, Penny was excited to embark on a new life in a seemly new world, but it became clear that rebuilding also meant prioritising._

_Her perfect grades at Hogwarts quickly became non-essential as jobs were made redundant and brand-new roles were created and filled. The Auror office quickly filled with Order members, trusted people only. Penelope scoffed as she watched how quickly her grades and role in the war became more and more worthless._

_She took the job she was offered, everyone did. But, to be nothing more than a first ranking clerk was embarrassing. She wanted a career in Law, but through the grapevine, she heard that the last position was being held for Hermione Granger who chose to do her last year of Hogwarts via correspondence._

_But day after day, she put on almost the same outfit, walked the same route to work, and did the same monotonous work. Inside, she was screaming. Weren’t they supposed to be celebrating and enjoying life?_

_To her dismay, things took a turn for the worse when Percy Weasley, her ex-boyfriend, had walked by her. Not bothering to look at her as she smiled and waved, calling his name. This snapped something inside of her. She spent so many days and nights listening to Percy say how underappreciated he felt by his family and how misunderstood he was._

_Now, that’s how he treated other people, but they let him get away with it because he’s still grieving the loss of his brother. Penny seethed in silence. If only people knew what Percy used to say about his brothers. In the back of her mind, she knew that Percy was jealous, but she didn’t care right now. Right now, she hated Percy Weasley and let her blood boil._

_“Seriously, Pen,”_

_Penny blinked as paper whooshed past her face and plonked on her desk. “What?” she snapped._

_“You’re going to get fired,” Parvati Patil said as she flicked through the stack of files in her arms. “Here, take this one too since you’ll be heading for the Department of Mysteries,”_

_Penny took the file and flicked through it. “Fuck me,” she whispered under her breath. “This will be the hundredth time I’ve searched for this damn prophecy. When will Potter and his mates get it that it doesn’t exist anymore? They smashed them a few years ago when they were attacked in there.”_

_Parvati shrugged. “Well, whatever it is, it must be important. He wants to close this file before he marries Ginny.”_

_Penny sighed. “I’m on it,” she shook her head and headed for the Department of Mysteries._

_When she was out of sight, Penny found an empty room and sat down in a random chair. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. Did Harry know?_

_A week ago, Penny found what Harry was after, but what he didn’t know was that it wasn’t a prophecy. It was a spell to make you physically go back and live in time. When she took the spell, it was because she knew that Harry was looking for a way to go back in time and see his parents. He’s been on a mission ever since the war ended and she heard the rumours about the Resurrection Stone._

_She wasn’t ever going to use the spell, but at that moment, she wanted to be somewhere she’d be wanted, somewhere she wasn’t invisible. Penny waited a while longer in the room. She needed to make sure she gave herself enough time to appear like she was in the Department of Mysteries. She began reciting the spell in her head and realised it wasn’t a complex spell, but she did need a Time-Turner._

_Penny shot up from her desk, out of the room, and ran to the Department of Mysteries. Her feet now worked on auto piolet because she had been all over the place looking for the ‘prophecy’. Ten minutes later, she was standing in front of a glass cabinet that shelved worn Time-Turners that had survived the battle._

_Penny examined them first by sight. She looked for tiny fractures or if the glass had broken in any way. She then examined them with her hands, checking the surfaces and if they were structurally sound. She settled on the intact one, it only had a few marks from years of use. Penny placed the Time-Turner around her neck and under her blouse and went back to her desk._

_That night, Penny re-read the spell and set up a table with candles and the Time-Turner. She only wanted a moment in time rather than time travel and the spell listed both ways. She had to re-write the spell down with her wishes in it, then she lit the candles._

_Her heart was racing and no amount of breathing was going to calm it. She closed her eyes, placed her hand on the Time-Turner, and said the spell three times out loud. She didn’t feel any different. No tummy turning feeling like Apparition or rushing like when in the Floo. Penny’s heart sank, she must have done something wrong. She opened her eyes and gasped._

_Penny was standing in an alleyway. It was familiar, near the Leaky Cauldron. When she entered the treats of London, everything was different, but the same. The Muggle cars were different, the music was poppy and people’s hair and clothes were bright, bold, daring or punk and rock._

_“This is the eighties, I think,” Penny whispered as she explored her new surroundings.  
  
She was walking past a storefront and smiled at the fashion when she bumped into someone._

_“I am so sorry,” Penny said when she looked at the person she bumped into, a man._

_“That’s all right,” he said and looked at her. “You’re not from around here, are you?”_

_“My parents own a cottage in the country,” Penny said, not lying to him._

_“I was just on my way to the pub, you want to join me?”_

_His smile was warm, he held her gaze, and for the first time, in a long time, she felt noticed._

_“I am quite hungry,” Penny said and she walked beside him and entered a Muggle pub._

Penny found herself standing by the table next to her bed. Several burned candles and the Time-Turner were on it and before she knew what she was doing, she threw the Time-Turner into her bag. She couldn’t think straight, she needed him. He was the only person she trusted right now.

Penny grabbed her keys before rummaging through her junk drawer. She found the spell and headed for the Ministry. The sun was just starting to rise, and she needed to beat the morning traffic.

~~*~~

It had been a week since he’d seen Penny. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut, mostly because his brother wasn’t listening to him. He was walking with him to the headquarters of the Order, the chill in the air wasn’t as bad tonight, but he still kept his hands in his pockets, one hand around his wand.  
  
“You’re out of your fucking mind!”

“I know what I’m talking about,” he said through clenched teeth.

“You’ve been hoodwinked, haven’t ya? This is bloody nonsense,”

He stopped dead in his tracks and hushed his brother. The streets of London were empty. There wasn’t a noise to be found. He was just about to take a step when the first curse was cast.

~~*~~

Penny had everything in order. She placed the spell back where she found it, resigned, and a new spell was created. She packed up her apartment and gave away most of her possessions. There were no goodbyes because she didn’t want to be questioned or have anyone check in on her. She sat in an old Muggle playground that rarely got used and set herself up for the next task.

Penny hoped what she was doing was going to work. She knew she was breaking about a hundred different magical laws, but she didn’t care. Penny felt like she was having withdrawal symptoms every minute of the day that she wasn’t with him. She felt at home when she was with him.

Penny took the Time-Turner out of her bag and placed it around her neck. There was a real risk that she could kill herself, but that was a risk she was willing to take. He was worth dying for.  
  
She closed her eyes and drew in a breath and she found calm and peace once she was there. Deep inside her soul, she knew it was the right thing to do. She loved him and just thinking about him made her feel like she was burning from the inside out. Passion, desire, lust, love – they all rolled into one burning flame inside her.

She began the spell.

~~*~~

“What the fuck?”

He heard his brother yell as he ducked behind a muggle car. “I told you we were going to get ambushed!”

“I swear, if we survive this, brother, I’m going to kill you!”

“Save your anger the Death Eaters,”

“You’re both going to die,” a cold laugh echoed around them

He felt fear for the first time. _Was this it?_ He asked himself. Taking a look from behind a car that he’s been hiding behind, he saw 3 Death Eaters slowly approaching.  
  
“There’s a couple more coming from the east,” his brother said.

“She was right. This is how we die,” he looked at his brother.

Both men stood looking at each other, finally nodding to accept their fate.  
  
“Then we fight?”

Yes,” He said.

Closing his eyes, he braced himself. He sent a small thought to Penny and how he wished he had one last time with her. Opening his eyes, he and his brother charged out from behind the car.

There was yelling, curses and hexes been cast, jets of green, blue, red, and yellow flew by.

“Ah!” A body flew back and he recognised his brother’s shirt, a burning wound on his left thigh.  
  
He sent another curse and hit a Death Eater, but he was slowly being surrounded with nowhere to go. A single tear dropped as he drew in a breath and braced himself.

Just then, a bright, burning light flashed and he could only hear groans of pain and the air was thick with an acidic smell. He realised it was burning flesh and he dry heaved.

“I didn’t think you’d have a weak stomach,”

“Penny!”

“Gideon,” Penny smiled.

“How, what?” Gideon looked around him and the Death Eaters were on the ground, their clothes steaming. “What have you done?”

“I came back for you,” Penny smiled and threw her arms around Gideon, but he pushed her back.

“Penny, this can’t be. We…we need to change it. Tell me what you’ve done.” Gideon said frantically. “TELL ME!” Penny jumped and shrank from the look on his face.

“I…I couldn’t let you die,” Penny began crying, the burning feeling inside was dying. Gideon cannot be mad at her. He can’t be. They love each other, she just knew it.

“But this changes history, Pen,” Gideon said and sighed in frustration. He ran his hands through his hair and over his face, wishing this could all be undone.

“I only changed my timeline,” Penny said and sniffled.

“Pen,” Gideon was in disbelief, but he turned around when he heard a groan. “Fabian!”

Gideon helped his brother sit up and he assessed the wound. It was healable, but he was bleeding heavily.

“We have to get my brother help,” Gideon began lifting Fabian. “We also have to undo what you’ve done,”

Once on his feet, Penny removed her cardigan and tied it around Fabian’s wound. He screamed, but the bleeding was slowing.

“So,” Fabian said around his pain. “You’re real?”

“Yes,” Penny said and wiped her tears away.

“We’re supposed to be dead?” Fabian asked.

Gideon shook his head in frustration. “Who the hell do we speak to?”

Fabian looked from his brother to Penny and back again. “No-one,” he said, and Gideon looked at him wide-eyed.

“What do you mean?” Gideon stepped closer to his brother. “This changes history. What if it’s Molly, huh? What if something happens to her because we did this?”

“Because I did this,” Penny said, her hand gripping the Time-Turner.

What she never said was that the Time-Turner could change it all back. It was the safety feature in case it didn’t work, and she didn’t make it to Gideon on time. But now she was standing in front of him and she couldn’t bring herself to tell him. All she wanted was to feel his arms around her, but he wouldn’t even look at her.

“For love,” Fabian said quietly. “You did this for my brother.”

Penny nodded, but before anyone had the chance to say anything a curse flew by her head, making her jump. One of the Death Eaters survived and was throwing curses their way. Giedion jumped in front of his brother to protect his and Penny’s wand was out, and she was sending curses back.

“Penny, look out!” Gideon shouted and Penny dived to her right as a curse headed right for her.

“No,” She said as she heard glass break under her weight. The Time-Turner broke and she sat up, frantically trying to find it under her clothes.

The same bright light from before surrounded them and the spell was complete.


End file.
